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Massachusetts votes to uphold civil rights of transgender people

At a Boston rally in favor of the protections for transgender citizens. Photo: Michael Swensen for The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Massachusetts voted to uphold a 2016 law that protects transgender people from discrimination in public places, including restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and stores, soundly defeating a ballot initiative to repeal those rights.

Why it matters: This was the first-ever statewide vote on transgender rights, and Massachusetts is now the first state in U.S. history to uphold these rights by popular vote.